Automation: Walmart offering delivery via drone in select markets
Today we’re announcing we’ll be expanding our DroneUp delivery network to 34 sites by the end the year, providing the potential to reach 4 million U.S. households across six states…
Automation: Warehouses shifting from labor to automation
Traditionally, warehouses and distribution centers have been labor-intensive operation centers with a large number of employees moving inventory to the right place. Typically located in rural areas …. These organizations…
Automation: Zipline offers compelling delivery solution in hard to reach areas
Zipline offers a compelling, high value density delivery service in remote areas, so far demonstrated and operational in some countries in Africa. Former Tesla CFO Deepak Ahuja will join Zipline’s…
Demographics 56: Canada blames retirees for labor shortage
More than a year after the Great Resignation took hold in the United States, Canada is grappling with its own greyer version: The Great Retirement. Source: Canada’s real problem is…
Demographics 55: Some propose eliminating “investor visas”
Many countries have investor visas that enable individuals to make an investment in a country, and in exchange, receive residency, or a path to citizenship or even citizenship. For some…
Automation: Fast food outlets dropping sit down service, becoming take out only
Name a fast-food restaurant and the odds are the company has recently developed a branch without any restaurant at all. Chipotle’s first “Digital Kitchen,” which opened in upstate New York…
Education: Will higher education providers compete?
In about 2 years, the big population decline now in effect at about age 17 and below will become the cohort entering college. Will colleges seek to offer better values…
Automation: Restaurants turn to AI voice bots to take phone orders
More casual-dining restaurants and takeout joints are dispensing with direct phone lines, opting instead to divert customer calls to voice bots. Pushing customers who call in orders and reservations to…
Demographics 54: Economist argues for expansion of immigration to the U.S.
He acknowledges the root cause: It’s hard for the government to increase the share of adults who are working, and there’s little that can be done in the short term…
Demographics 53: Automation in Warehouse and Distribution Centers
Automation offers significant benefits to employers struggling to adequately staff warehouse environments. In addition to reducing the need for labor and making work less demanding for current employees, automation stands…
Automation: Robotic, automatic food delivery coming to homes in California and Texas
As the population of younger, new workers declines, as labor becomes more expensive, automation will replace much that we thought could never be automated: Source: Uber Eats and Nuro sign…
Demographics 52: Animated population changes since 1900
This is brilliant. Watch the video clip. Best viewed on Reddit –> here.
Demographics 51: Treasury Secretary calls for free college and subsidized child care
Sec. Yellin, who said a year ago that inflation would be mild and temporary, promotes free college and subsidized childcare to address labor issues. “Programs like free community college and…
Demographics 50: US States and Territories, by fertility rate
2.1 is the population replacement rate. The U.S. as a whole is about 1.63, above, but 1.78 by others’ estimates. Some states, like mine, are just 1.39. This means any…
Demographics 49: Sen Romney proposes paying Americans to have babies
My own state has a 2020 fertility rate of 1.39. Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney introduced the Family Security Act. 2.0 last week to address declining marriage rates and the…